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Old 31-12-2004, 03:25 AM
 
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To cultivate Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) would require a tree as
host and a mycorrhizal fungus to connect the parasitic Indian pipe
with the host tree roots. A terrarium would probably not be required as
Indian pipe has no need for transpiration because it has no
photosynthesis.

There has been quite a bit of research on Indian pipe because of its
unusual nutritional mode. However, I am not sure if any researchers
have perfected an indoor cultivation method. Perhaps it could be grown
on oak or pine seedlings indoors. You might possibly succeed by
transplanting an Indian pipe into a pot with some host tree seedlings.

You might try emailing some Monotropa researchers and see of they have
perfected a cultivation method. Indian pipe cultivation has some
commercial possibilities. I could see a market for potted Indian pipe
as a novelty houseplant and for biology teaching.


References

Could Indian pipes have dropped photosynthesis through evolution?
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...3947.Bt.r.html

Symbiotic germination and development of the myco-heterotroph Monotropa
....
http://www.bio.ic.ac.uk/research/bid...HLeake2004.pdf

Structural features of mycorrhizal associations in two members of the
Monotropoideae, Monotropa uniflora and Pterospora andromedea.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15490255

Myco-heterophytes and parasitic plants in food chains.
http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/hershey/myco.pdf